Off to America
by MeredithGlass
Summary: Nina's Gran has died, and Nina must go back to America to take care of things and meet her new gaurdian, taking a couple friends with her for support. What will she do when she finds that not everyone is feeling sorry for her? T for some language to come.
1. Chapter 1

"Alfie, please, that is so disgusting!" Mara said, rolling her eyes white the boy shoveled food into his mouth.

"Mara!" Alfie mimicked. "How many times must I tell you it tastes better this way?" Mara glared back, and Jerome let out a laugh.

"Here, Alfie, want some more?" Jerome asked before flinging a spoonful of mashed potatoes towards Alfie. As usual, the boys erupted in a miniature food fight. It all came to a halt, however, as soon as Victor entered the room. The student watched him silently as he stood there.

"Miss Martin," he finally said, turning towards Nina. "The telephone, for you." He turned and walked away.

"It must be my Gran. I haven't called her lately, she probably just misses me," Nina said dismissively to Fabian. She walked out of the room and sat down in the chair next to it before picking it up.

"Hello?" she said into the receiver.

"Nina Martin?" Nina sat up straight, surprised to hear a man's voice.

"Um…Yes, I'm Nina. Who is this?"

"I'm Father Andrews, from your grandmother's church."

"Oh, hello Father. Uh…Why, exactly, are you calling me? If you don't mind me asking."

"Nina, I'm very sorry to be the one to tell you this, but your grandmother had been very sick lately. She didn't think it was serious, and didn't want you to worry about it so she kept it from you. Unfortunately, last night there were some complications with her lungs, and—"

"Is she okay?" Nina asked, suddenly filled with concern. "Do I need to come home?" Father Andrews let out a sympathetic sigh.

"I'm sorry Nina, but she didn't make it." Nina felt her heart stop.

"Oh my God…" she murmured. "Oh my God…"

"Nina? Nina, are you still there?" Father Andrews asked worriedly. With shaking hands, Nina put the phone down and rested her head in her hands.

"Really, can't you two do this when it's your turn for chores? Who do you think is going to have to clean up after you pigs later?" Mara asked in annoyance. Alfie and Jerome simply laughed and continued eating their food. Mick looked around the table and noticed Nina's chair was still empty.

"Hey, is Nina still on the phone with her Gran?" he asked.

"I don't know. She's been talking on it for a while now; it's been almost fifteen minutes," replied Mara.

"Isn't her Gran, like, old? How much does she have to say?" Amber asked. Patricia rolled her eyes while everyone else just laughed.

"Well, Amber, why don't you go and see if she is still on the phone with her Gran. And tell her to hurry it up. I promised I'd ring my parents tonight," Patricia suggested, speaking as if she was talking to a toddler.

"Okay," Amber agreed, oblivious. She stood up and walked out of the room. The first thing she saw was the phone on the table.

"Oh, you're off the line! What are you still doing out here then?" Amber asked. When Nina didn't reply, Amber took another step closer and saw Nina holding her hands to her face.

"Nina? What's wrong? Don't you want to finish your supper?" Still no answer. "Nina? Are you okay?" When Nina still didn't answer, Amber walked over and put her hand on Nina's shoulder. "Nina, answer me, please! Is everything all right?"

"Oh my God," was all Nina could say. She started rocking back and forth slightly. Amber started to panic. "Trudy! Trudy! Somebody, come quick! Fabian!"

Back in the dining room, all chatter stopped at the sound of Amber's screaming. Patricia rolled her eyes.

"What's going on?" Trudy asked as she ran into the room, still holding a spatula in her hands.

"As usual, something is wrong with _Nina_," Patricia scoffed. Trudy lowered her spatula.

"Oh, well then, what is it?" Everyone looked around. They heard Amber yelling again.

"Fabian!" All of the students at Anubis House (and Trudy, of course) stood up and walked out in to the hallway where they saw Amber with her arm around Nina. Fabian rushed over and knelt down next to her and Nina. Trudy followed him.

"What's the matter?" Fabian asked, worry etched in his voice.

"I don't know, I just walked in and she was like this! She won't say anything!"

"Is the phone still on the line?" Trudy asked. Fabian looked at Amber, who said she didn't know. Amber reached over and picked up the phone.

"Hello? Is anyone there?" she asked.

"Yes, this is Father Andrews. Who is this? Is Nina okay?" Amber got a confused look on her face.

"You're not her Gran?" Amber asked.

"No, I'm Father Andrews, her grandmother's priest."

"Oh, so do you know what's the matter with Nina?" Amber asked.

"Nora, her grandmother, died this morning." Amber gasped.

"Oh, that's awful!" The group standing in the hallway looked at Amber anxiously.

"Is Nina okay?"

"Not likely, we haven't been able to get a word out of her."

"Will you give me a call when you know more?" Father Andrews asked.

"Oh sure, what's your number?" Amber listened and the wrought the number down before hanging up the phone. She stood there while everyone else looked at her expectantly.

"Well?" Fabian, who now had his arm around Nina's shoulders, asked. "Who was it?"

"Oh, that was Father Andrews," Amber replied. He waited for a further explanation.

"…And?"

"Oh, it's horrible! Nina's Gran passed this morning!" Mouths dropped and gasps were heard throughout the hall. Even Patricia felt bad for Nina, and everyone knew she didn't really care for her. Trudy's eyes teared up and she put a hand to her mouth.

"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry, Nina!" Mara said.

"Fabian, will you help me get Nina to her room please?" Trudy asked, walking over to the girl.

"Sure," Fabian said. He tried to help her up, but as soon as she was her feet, she collapsed to the floor. "Nina. Nina, come on. Trudy and I are going to take you up to your room." He tried pulling Nina back up, but she seemed determined to stay where she was at. Fabian sighed before leaning down and picking her up. After Fabian, Nina, and Trudy had disappeared up stairs, it was a few minutes before anyone said anything.

"I was unaware that Fabian could pick anything up, let alone an entire person," Jerome joked. Alfie was the only one who laughed. Mara smacked his arm and Jerome rubbed it in pain, glaring at Mara. "What was that for?"

"Her Gran just died, Jerome. That was completely insensitive!"

"Did I say anything about Nina or her Gran? No. I was merely making a surprised observation that may or may not have been a jab at Fabian and his manhood." Everyone looked at Jerome in annoyance and the group walked into the sitting room.

"I feel so bad for Nina," said Mara.

"Me too," Mick agreed. "It must be horrible, losing her Gran like that. Do you think she'll be okay?"

"Yes," Amber said, looking a little distracted for a moment. Then, she had a sudden look of clarity. "I mean no. No, I don't think she will."

"What do you mean, Ambs?" Mick asked.

"Nina said her Gran was her only family left. She said that it was a nightmare when her parents died, and she was really young then. She couldn't imagine what it would be like if her Gran died."

"Well, she sure can now," Patricia mumbled.

"Patricia!" Mara exclaimed.

"What?" Patricia asked, looking around the room. Jerome coughed and nodded his head towards the entrance. Everyone turned their heads to see Nina and Fabian standing in the doorway. Nina rolled her eyes and practically ran back up the stairs.

"Way to go Patricia. Why do you have to be such a witch?" Fabian asked before turning around and going after Nina.

"Did you see her?" Amber asked, looking around the room with wide eyes.

"See what?" Alfie asked.

"Fabian is totally sweet on Nina!" Amber squealed happily. "This is fantastic! Exactly what Nina needs to help her cope with her Gran's death!"

"Fabian? Crushing on Nina? That's ridiculous!" Patricia exclaimed.

"Oh, Amber, you've such an eye for details," Jerome laughed.

"I know, don't I?" Amber agreed, twirling her hair.

"Come on you guys; as if Fabian would ever fancy Nina. The whole idea is just ridiculous. I mean, she's Nina," Patricia sneered.

"Actually, it isn't that ridiculous. I know for a fact that Fabian likes her as more than a mate," Mick chimed in.

"And how, pray tell, do you know this, Mick?" Jerome asked, still laughing at Amber.

"When Ambs thought Fabian and Nina were secretly dating, we had a little chat and he told me that it was possible he fancied her a little bit."

"And really, when you really start to hang around them, it's almost disgusting how obvious it is. Obvious to everyone but themselves, that it," Amber said matter-of-factly.

"So, uh, Amber…do you know if anyone else fancies anyone else in the house?" Alfie asked nervously.

"Don't be silly, Alfie, who else in the house would be dating? I mean, Mick and I broke up. And if Mara likes someone, I've yet to hear of it," Amber replied. Alfie looked disappointed and turned on the television to cover it up. Everyone turned their attention to the cartoon that was playing on the screen. Everyone except Amber, that is. Amber was looking at Patricia.

-Nina and Amber's room-

"I'll go brew you up a nice hot cup of tea. Fabian, are you going to stay here?" Trudy asked.

"Of course," Fabian nodded. He was sitting on the floor next to Nina's bed. Nina was curled up in a ball. She was frighteningly pale and her eyes were red and puffy, but she hadn't cried. Not yet, anyway.

"I just…I can't believe it," Nina said, closing her eyes. Fabian squeezed her hand. "What am I going to do, Fabian?"

"It'll be okay," he reassured her. Fabian fell silent for a moment. "Hey Nina…do you think you'll be moving back to America now?"

"I don't know. I don't want to. My Gran was the only family I had so it's not like there's anyone waiting for me there. And I'm still a minor," she replied.

"What does that mean, exactly?"

"I'm not old enough to make decisions by myself. I'll probably go back and be put in a foster care home back in America." Fabian was silent, processing what Nina had said. She couldn't leave yet, not when he was getting so close to telling her how he felt.

"And there is no way you can change it? Like getting emancipated?" Nina opened her eyes and lifted her head up a little.

"Look, Fabian, my Gran just died. I'm not sure if I can think about what happens next. I'm still kind of wishing this is all a bad dream."

"I know I'm sorry. It's just…I don't want you to leave, Nina. You just got here. And you know your Gran wouldn't have wanted you to leave just yet."

"I know, Fabe." Right then, Trudy walked back in carrying a cup of tea.

"How are you feeling, dear?" she asked with concern.

"I'm fine, Trudy. Thanks." Trudy nodded and set the tea on Nina's nightstand.

"Well, I've got to go clean up the kitchen. Are you going to be alright here, Nina?" Trudy asked.

"Um, yeah. I think." Trudy shot her a sympathetic look before leaving the room.

"Would you like me to stay" Fabian asked.

"Could you?" Nina asked look apologetic.

"Of course! So, how are you really?" Nina laughed.

"Honestly? I feel like I want to go in a hole and die," she replied as he started sniffling again.

"I'm really sorry Nina. If there's anything I can do for you, anything at all, just let me know."

"Hey Fabian?" Nina moved closer to the edge of her bed. Fabian looked up. "Thanks. For everything." Fabian gave her a soft smile. Nina closed her eyes, and after awhile her breathing became steady. He watched her until he, too, began drifting off to sleep.

* * *

**[A/N] Hey! Thanks for reading. Sorry the writing quality falls off a bit. This is the first thing I've actually done besides editing in a while. It doesn't help that this was orgininally planned out as a one shot. Or that I planned on Nina and the house going back for something happy and having them meeting Gran...but my beat/best friend deicded that wasn't dramatic enough. So I hope you liked it! Please review:)**

**- Meredith Glass**


	2. Chapter 2

"It's so horrible about Nina's Gran," Amber said. Jerome, Alfie, Mick, and Patricia all groaned.

"Amber, will you stop with it already!" Patricia exclaimed.

"What? Don't you feel bad for her?"

"Well of course we feel _bad_ for her, but not shutting up about is not only going to make matters worse for Nina, but it's going to drive us all insane," Jerome said, obviously annoyed. The table fell silent for a moment. A mischievous smile slowly spread across Alfie's face.

"Hey, Jerome," Alfie called. "Fancy some more oatmeal?" Alfie scooped up a huge spoonful of oatmeal and flung it across the table, hitting Jerome square in the face. Jerome looked like he was about to retaliate, but before he had the chance he was interrupted as a certain dismal landlord entered the room.

"What is going on here?" the man demanded. The students looked around the table, waiting for someone to say something. Patricia, not one to leave questions unanswered, was the first to speak.

"So, what's the deal? Is Nina going back to America or not?" Patricia asked.

"Miss Williamson, I don't see how that is any of your business."

"Oh, come on Victor! I think as her house we have the right to know if we're going to get a second replacement for Joy in the same term." If it was possible, Victor's scowl became deeper.

"Vermin…all of you vermin," he muttered as he left the room.

"That man really gives me the creeps sometimes," Mick said, still staring at the doorway.

"Mick! Respect your elders!" Trudy scolded, laughing behind her hand.

"Trudy, do you know?" Patricia questioned. Trudy was second in command in the house, some would even question first if you think of all the times she has dismissed Victor's anger at him being high and mighty, and the times where she overrules his authority.

"Know what, dear?" Trudy asked.

"Is Nina going back to America?"

"Well, she is going to have to return for her grandmother's funeral and to pack up her things."

"Will she be coming back?" Amber asked, her voice cracking. Trudy looked up at Amber in shock.

"Um, well, I don't know dear, I guess that all depends on what Nina and her new guardians decide. But it may very well be that Nina is to stay in America."

"But she has the scholarship! It isn't as if they have to give up any money to keep her here!"

"I know, Amber, but whoever is to take care of Nina may not be comfortable with her being so far away, especially so soon after the death of her grandmother."

"Trudy," Mara spoke up. "Do you know when Nina is leaving?"

"First thing Saturday morning, I think. I know she wanted to stay for the rest of term."

"Is she leaving all by herself?" Amber asked.

"No, Amber, she's taking Victor with her," Jerome joked. Amber and Mara rolled their eyes. Trudy shot him a disapproving look, although she had to admit, under different circumstances it would have been sort of funny.

"Yes, Amber, Nina is going back by herself."

"Well that's just horrible!" Amber exclaimed. "She shouldn't be all alone!" Amber had a troubled look on her face, soon replaced by one of excitement. "I know! What if we go with her?" Amber suggested. All eyes fell on Amber.

"Ambs, what are you talking about?" Mick asked cautiously.

"Nina's Gran was the most important person her life. She was her only family! After a loss that big, she shouldn't be alone," Amber reasoned.

"I agree with Amber." Heads turned towards the doorway to see Fabian leaning against the frame Unlike the others, he was still wearing her bed clothes.

"I've already discussed it with Nina and my parents. I'm going to America with her for part of the break."

"See? Even Fabian agrees with me. That makes me a genius." Amber smiled triumphantly.

"You're going to America with Nina?" Patricia asked, a scowl freshly plastered on her face. Fabian sighed.

"Yes, Patricia. I am."

"I want to go too!" Amber exclaimed. "To support Nina, of course." Amber turned towards Mick and Mara. "Well? What about you two?" Mara sat up a little straighter.

"Does this mean you're talking to me now?" Mara asked, a hopeful look on her face.

"Of course I'm talking to you now, Mara! A friend is in need and we all need to pull together to help her."

"So…does this mean you aren't mad at me anymore?"

"Mara, I was hurt and emotional and I just had to ask myself WWVB. And then it all became clear," Amber replied happily before turning back to her food. Mick and Mara looked at each other, both feeling a little confused.

"Um, Ambs, what, exactly, became clear?" Mick asked.

"Silly! Victoria Beckham would record a really good break up song and then go snog David Beckham!"

"So, you're going to record a song and then snog David Beckham?" Mara asked. Amber's reply had only confused her even more. But then again, was it really that big of a surprise?

"No! I could never disrespect Victoria Beckham like that. And besides, if anywhere, this face belongs on the big screen, not the big billboard.

"Well, I'm going too, then." Patricia added suddenly. That caught quite a bit attention. Jerome choked on his water.

"You? But you don't even like Nina," Mara said.

"Well…I feel bad for her. I mean, she just lost her Gran, Mara, can't you be even a little sympathetic?" Mara opened her mouth to say something, but Jerome started talking over her.

"Well, if Patricia is going, I'm going. If anything just to watch this catastrophe unfold. Right Alfie?"

"Uh, right! I think…"

"Look, guys, I know you want to be there for Nina but you should really check with her first," Fabian said.

"Alright!" Alfie got up and started walking towards the stairs.

"Alfie. Alfie! Stop!" Alfie turned around and looked at Fabian questioningly. "She's sleeping."

"…Okay? You said go ask her!"

"I didn't mean now, Alfie! She's sleeping. Let her be." Alfie dropped his head and sulked back to his seat.

"Alfie, how dare you even suggest waking up the princess! She can't come out in the sunlight or she shall melt! Oh wait…-pause for dramatic effect- I forgot. That's Patricia who can't see sunlight!" Patricia glared and threw her napkin at Jerome.

"Wait, how do you know Nina is sleeping?" Amber asked. Fabian looked up from his plate.

"I just checked on her? I walked into your room and she was sleeping. So please try not to wake her up, Amber." Amber nodded, looking like she was deep in thought. Suddenly, she stood up (rather quickly, if I might add) and started to leave the room.

"I'm going to get ready for school!" she exclaimed before practically running out the door.

"I thought she already was ready?" Mick asked, looking at Mara, who simply shrugged in response.

-Upstairs-

Amber slowly pushed the door open and stuck her head inside.

"Nina. Nina, are you sleeping?" she whispered. She walked over to Nina's bed and leaned down. "Niiiiiiiiiinaaaaaaaaaaa wake up!" Nina groggily opened her eyes. A little disoriented at first, it took Nina a moment to realize that Amber was right next to her face. She let out a gasp and jolted backwards, hitting her head on the headboard in the process.

"Ow, Amber, what do you want?" she asked. She was rubbing her head in pain at her rude awakening.

"Sorry, Nina, are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine. Sorry for snapping. Now, what's up?"

"I was wondering." Amber sat down on the edge of Nina's bed. "I mean, I feel like since we started sharing a room we've gotten to be very close…" Her voice trailed off. She was having a hard time looking Nina in the eyes. As of present, she was focusing on the ceiling.

"Amber?" Nina sat up. "Is everything okay?"

"Nina, I'm really sorry about your Gran. And I know you have Fabian, and all your American friends and that's probably enough, but the rest of us want to know if you'd be willing to have us come with you. I mean, I just really want you to be surrounded by people who love you! Not that there aren't people who love back in America, it's just…" Amber's voice trailed off again. Her gaze had fallen to the floor. Nina smiled at Amber knowingly.

"Amber," she said. Amber looked up, still having avoiding any type of eye contact. "You know, I know this might be too much to ask of you, but being the best female friend I have in the house, actually, probably the best female friend I have at all, would you like to come to America with me?" Amber's face lit up with a smile.

"Thanks Nina!" Amber exclaimed, pulling her into a hug. "You're my best friend too."

* * *

**[A/N] Hey everyone! Thanks for the awesome reviews! I'm glad you're all liking the story. This chapter is kind of just filler, the real action will start probably next chapter, when they all leave for America. I'm also thinking of maybe bringing an old boyfriend's of Nina's into the picture to shake things up...what do you think? I mean, it can't be too easy for them! That would be boring. Also, if you have any imput on what you think might happen, or any suggestions for what you want to happen just leave it in the review box! Thanks for reading, and please review!**

**- Meredith Glass :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**[A/N] Hey all! Author's note! Sorry this chapter was kinda sucky and short but I promise you that the next one will be long and really good! And if not, I give you permission to throw virtual tomatoes at me. Because, honestly, I just want to get to America now…no offense to Britain. I just have low patience. Anyway, sorry it took so long to update. The computer battery died, and I had to wait three days for a new one to come because I had most of this chapter written up on this computer. And then I've been super swamped lately with school. But all is well now! So I asked a question in the last chapter, and I have finally got the rest of the story line figured out thanks to an awesome reviewer (thank you water_wolf_100! Really, it's such a great idea and I never would of thought of that!)!**

"Alright! Are you all ready to go? That cab is here!" Trudy called up the stairs. One by one, the Fabian, Amber, and Nina came trudging down the stairs.

"Why is it so early?" Nina whined.

"Because America is, like, really far away, obviously." Amber leaned over to Fabian and whispered, "America _is_ far away…right?" Fabian rolled his eyes.

"Yes, Amber, it's far away." Fabian rolled his eyes again. Amber wasn't that bad, but at 4 in the morning, it was a little difficult to not get annoyed at just about anything. The three got into the cab and started the drive to the airport.

"Why did we have to get up so early again?" Amber asked. Nina looked sleepily over at the blonde.

"It takes about eight hours, give or take, to get to New York from Heathrow. From there it's about a two hour flight from there to the Fort Wayne International Airport, and then about a 45 minute drive to Ossian, which is where my Gran lives." Nina lifted her head up, suddenly looking wide awake. "I mean lived. That's where my Gran lived." Fabian and Amber looked at each other. It was horrible Nina had to go through this.

-On the plane-

"Seats, seats, seats, seats, seats…here they are." Nina stopped in front of row of seats. The plane was like your typical coach class **[Yeah…isn't it called like second class or something? My brain isn't working right now]** area of your typical flying metal object; one aisle, many rows of three seats and a shaky metal cart with lukewarm coffee. The three sat down, Amber by the window, Nina in the middle, and Fabian next to the aisle. The flight attendants did their thing **[Again, never been on a plane and feeling kind of lazy. Hey, you know what would be awesome? If I would stop interrupting the story! Yay! Let's see how long I can go]**. By the time the plane took off, the three students were already falling back asleep.

-7 Hours and 40 Minutes later—

"Oh my gosh! Nina, Fabian look!" Amber turned around excitedly and shook Fabian and Nina awake. "Look! Look! You can see the city! Oh, isn't it gorgeous?" Fabian and Nina smiled at Amber. "It looks just like London! Except all the buildings are different. And it's America. And it's obviously not London at all. But it's really fantastic looking!"

Just over an hour later, the trio was just loading a different flight, headed for Indiana.

-The plane just landed! They are in Indiana! Yay!-

Nina, Fabian, and Amber didn't sleep a bit on the second flight. Amber mostly because she was excited, even though their visit was under the worst of circumstances; Fabian was having similar feelings as Amber, except he mostly just wasn't tired anymore. Nina, on the other hand, had been feeling a little homesick, to be honest. If only it would be her Gran picking her and her friends up from the airport.

The group got off the plane, collected their bags, and then found themselves standing in the middle of the airport with absolutely no idea what they were supposed to do next.

"Um…Nina…who is picking us up?" Amber asked. Fabian looked at Nina, waiting for her to answer.

"Uh, well…I would assume that it would be…a person. Someone with, you know, two legs, two hands…a nose…driver's license…shoes…"

"NINA!" The three heard it before they saw a tall blonde girl running towards them, straight into Nina. "Nina! Oh my God I missed you so much! You _have _to tell me _everything _about boarding school! Especially since it's of the British variety. Tell me, does it really look like Hogwarts?" Nina laughed.

"Nice to see you too, Ayla," Nina greeted, hugging the girl back. The other girl finally seemed to notice Fabian and Amber, although she seemed more interesting in meeting the British boy than the other student.

"And who are you? Jeez, Nina, you sure know how to pick 'em. He's cute," Ayla giggled, dragging out the "u" sound in "cute". Amber leaned over to Fabian.

"Fabian…why is she talking like that?" Amber asked, looking confused.

"I…I don't know," Fabian whispered back.

"Well don't y'all just stand there! We have a long drive ahead of us! Come on!" Ayla grabbed Nina's hand and started dragging her to the exit, Fabian and Amber hurrying behind.

**And Ossian is in Indiana, about a 45 minutes drive south east of Fort Wayne. The series never said where Nina was from, so I figured Hey! Let's write what we know. Sorry if you don't like it. And if the speech seems a little…weird, like not something you would think to hear up north, I feel like I should let you know that that is the way people actually talk up here. It's ridiculous, though, because half the school talks and acts like they're all gangster [when really most of them grew up in high-end neighborhoods] and the other half is like HUGE FFA. And me? Yeah…I'm not really either…but I did grow up in the country…but I don't like FFA…Okay, no more rambling. So what did you all think of Ayla? Like her? Hate her? COMMENT AWAY! And now…**

**Eclarel4evr- Thanks! I really liked yours too! It was the first one I read **

**Eclarelfan4ever- Thanks **

**icecreamlover267- Haha I'm glad you like it! I'll try to be consistent with my updates.**

**Christian_Cadet- Thanks! I promise you there will be plenty of more H.O.A. mystery and drama in this story! And I promise, no past boyfriends, a better plot twist has come up thanks to an awesome reviewer. And I will most definitely have an epilogue!**

**NebraeExbaren- I'm glad you liked it! I know it was similar to the one in the show, but they did say it happens a lot. But would Nina REALLY take Victor along? That would be funny, though, wouldn't it? And I'm glad you liked it!**

**Water_wolf_100- I will try to make it as long as I can without dragging it out. As I said before, it was originally a one-shot. And I'll try to make the story worth your wait **

**Skittleysweet- Haha I think we ALL want to hurt her sometimes. But could you imagine the storyline of the show without her?**

**HouseOfAnubisGirlxFabiana- I'm glad you liked it! **

**Moondapple-or-Moonpelt- Thanks!**

**Nicolette_May_Summers- Haha my thoughts exactly!**

**Thanks again for all your reviews! I know there were more of you awesome people who reviewed…but these were the first ones I typed up, and then our laptop battery died so I had to wait two days for us to get a new cord/battery. And by then I had more reviews I thought was possible for any of my stories! I'll try to update again soon **

**- Meredith Glass **

**P.S. Okay…I don't know what to think about Mr. Winkler. I mean, he seems nice and all, but….he's involved with Victor's strangeness. And Rufus is mean! I mean, I haven't seen past this past Wednesday's episode, but still. Meanie. What do you guys think of the series so far?**


	4. Chapter 4

**[A/N] Don't have much to say soo…**

**Hp-Twil-Fan- Yeah, I was going to delete what I said about the talking. At first, I had her with a really Southern-ish twang because that's how all the people I've met from the town it takes place in talk (granted, I've spent most of my time in the country part of it, but not that much different because it is a VERY small town). But then I kinda changed my mind…**

**Reid-and-Review-plzz- I am glad you love it **

**NebraeExbaren- You know, I honestly considered it, but then I decided against it…haha don't want to crowd too many things into the story line.**

**water_wolf_100- Thanks! And YES! Excited! I am recording it! And it's cool; most of my reviews are rambling. Heck, my author's notes are pretty much ALWAYS rambling!**

**eliticobelle18- Haha thanks! I am a grammar nerd. I get completely OCD about it!**

Fabian was staring out the window on the high way. Him and Amber were in the back seat, letting Nina catch up with her friend Ayla, although it seemed Nina wasn't doing anything except nodding her head and smiling at the girl. They seemed really different. It was kind of a surprise to him. Nina was quiet and she careful, much like Fabian himself, and he was the first friend she had at Anubis House. _Well, as they say, you can never really tell a book by its cover._

"So, anyway, we were walking down to the playground, you know, the one by the old school? So, she tells me that he, like, wants to get back with her and I was like, 'um, no way in _hell_ would he ever do that!' Because, I mean, he wouldn't right? I mean, it's just so…uggh! But, I mean, it's like whatever, right?" Nina nodded. Amber leaned over and tapped Fabian on the shoulder.

"Fabian…America isn't as great as I thought it'd be."

"What do you mean?" he asked, only half paying attention.

"I didn't follow anything she just said…and that's coming from me, Fabian." Fabian looked over at Amber.

"That is serious, now isn't it?" Amber nodded, giving him a look that made it obvious that, although she wasn't saying it out loud, she was thinking "_obviously_" in her head. The two started listening to Nina and Ayla again when they heard Nina's voice.

"Um, A? Why are you turning here? You know Gran and I live in the villas off of Davis," Nina asked looking really confused.

"Not anymore you don't," Ayla replied, keeping her gaze steadily on the road for what seemed like the first time since they got in the car.

"Then…where are we going?" Nina questioned. She wasn't really sure if she actually wanted to know, but she had never actually known anyone who lived off of the road they just turned on to. "Oh. My. Gosh. _Tell me_ you are not serious!" Ayla shot Nina a sympathetic look.

"I'm sorry, sweetie. Maybe…maybe she won't be so bad," Ayla tried comforting her, but to no avail.

"Are you serious? It's going to be a nightmare! Why her?" Tears started sliding down Nina's face one by one. Fabian and Amber looked between the two girls, confused.

"What's wrong? Who's horrible?" Fabian asked. Nina started rubbing her temples in aggravation.

"Nina?" Amber asked. Ayla glanced at them in the rearview mirror. Suddenly, they noticed that they were turning into a long, long drive way. "Are all American drive ways this long?" Ayla laughed and looked back at Amber.

"You can't tell me you guys don't have long drive back in the countryside of jolly old England."

"Well we have long drive ways obviously, but I don't live in the country silly!" Ayla gave a half-hearted laugh.

"Right…" she replied.

"Oh my gosh!" Amber gasped. The three other passengers looked at her questioningly. "It's so gorgeous! Nina, _who_ are you living with now?" Amber asked, awe struck. The three followed her gaze towards the magnificent structure slowly coming into view. "It's so pretty!" The house was three stories high, painted a dark green. It was an unusual color compared to the rest of the old homes in the area, but somehow it worked perfectly. There were tons of windows, and a huge wrap-around porch. Ayla pulled the car to a stop and got out of the car. The four gathered around the front of the car.

"You ready to go in?" Ayla asked. Nina looked uncertainly at Fabian, who grabbed her hand. She looked at him skeptically.

"This way, if you get nervous you can just squeeze my hand has hard as you can," he smiled at her. Nina laughed, and followed as Ayla started walking towards the house. Once inside, the house proved to be just as fantastic on the inside as on the house. They were greeted by an intricate chandelier overlooking a grand staircase. There were wood floors everywhere. What really stood out, however, were the rows and rows of various grayed pictures in frames of every size.

"Wow…who are all of these people?" Amber asked reaching out to touch one of them.

"Those are family portraits dating back to the late 1880's. They are not to be touched," a stern voice said from the top of the stairs. The four looked up.

"Ayla. Thank you for picking up Nina and her…friends," the woman said with distaste. She started to make her way down the stairs.

"Right…well, I will text you later Nina. Fabian, Amber, it was nice to meet you." Ayla turned around and practically ran out of the door.

"Hello Aunt Catherine." Nina's reply was met by the stony stare of the old woman. "These are my friends from school, Amber and Fabian." The two Brits felt as if they were being judged under the scathing gaze of this Aunt Catherine.

"Uh, hi, I'm Fabian," Fabian greeted, quickly masking his face with a smile. He took a step forward and held his hand out. Instead of shaking his hand, she walked right past him.

"Come this way," she commanded.

"Nina," Amber started, staring after Aunt Catherine. "Your aunt frightens me…" Fabian nodded his head in agreement.

**[A/N] Yes, it is true. I have decided that Nina has an aunt, Aunt Catherine. Now, Aunt Catherine is her Gran's older sister. So, aside from that, what did you all think of this chapter? The house I described actually exists, and looks a lot better than I probably described. My best friend's great aunt owned this AMAZING house that was just perfect. It was huge, three stories, and yes, it was a dark greenish color. But it was the coolest house I've ever seen. **

**ANNND I was thinking. So, Rufus is bad, right? So..does that open up the possibility that Victor and all them are actually doing something for the better of everyone? Or is that just too out there. I mean, when you think about it, Sarah said that she used to be friends with Rufus, and what kind of child would actually like Victor? What if Victor started the society on good intentions? Maybe, juuuust maybe, Rufus actually killed Sarah's parents, and then told her than Victor did it! And MAYBE the society and the chosen on is the chosen one to stop Rufus, who turned bad! Food for thought, huh?**


	5. Chapter 5

Regular

_Text message_

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"This is the sitting room. Through that door there is the kitchen, and in the kitchen is a hallway that will take you to the door to the cellar. The living room is on the other side of the foyer, and a doorway in there leads to my room which is strictly off limits. Up the stairs on the second floor will be where the boy stays and Nina, you and the girl will stay one floor above. I trust you can show them where that is. I've given Myrna the week off due to an illness in her family, and I have bridge tonight at the Wilson's, so I trust you'll find something for dinner. Other than that, Dinner will be at 6:30 every evening, 6:00 on Sundays." Aunt Catherine stopped in the middle of the room and turned to face the three teens. "Do not touch anything that looks even remotely important or valuable and, for Heaven's sake, don't break anything." She turned towards Nina. "I've already taken care of the details of the funeral, which will be held next Saturday as to avoid any major scheduling conflicts with those who plan to attend. The day after you will go to your grandmother's house and go through her items. Understood?"

"Yes, Aunt Catherine," Nina replied in a flat tone. Catherine nodded.

"Good. Now show everyone to their rooms. And don't slouch, it makes you look sloppy." With that, Aunt Catherine walked past Nina, Amber, and Fabian and went straight into the living room, out of sight. A few seconds later, they heard a door slam shut.

"She's fast for an old woman, isn't she?" Fabian said after a beat of silence. Nina and Amber started laughing.

"Aunt Catherine is…well, she's Aunt Catherine. She's been pretty bitter ever since I could remember," Nina replied. She started walking towards the stairs, Fabian and Amber following.

"Does your aunt have an equally scary husband we should know about?" Amber asked. Nina shook her head.

"She was married to some guy named Harry, but he was killed Vietnam. She has a couple kids, but I've never met them." Once they got to the first landing of the house, they stopped. "Well…I guess just pick a room," Nina told Fabian. She pointed to her left. "Down that hallway is, like, three room, I think. And then over here," Nina turned around and pointed the other way. "There is just one room here. But it is right next to the stairs that go up to the next floor." Fabian nodded.

"Nina, this house is huge! This is probably the same size as Mick's house! I thought you needed the scholarship?" Amber asked as she looked around.

"I do. This was handed down to Aunt Catherine. There isn't a mortgage or anything she has to pay for."

"I guess that makes sense. So, where are we sleeping, Nina?" Amber asked.

"Oh, right! Um, this way," Nina said, walking towards the stairs. She stopped and turned around to face Fabian. "So, I guess just pick a room and do whatever and come find us when you're ready?" Fabian nodded in agreement. After the girls disappeared up the stairs, Fabian wheeled his suitcase to the room beside the stairs to the next floor.

-Upstairs-

"Nina, are there any rooms with two beds? It can be just like back at school!" Amber exclaimed. Nina gave a laugh.

"I have no idea Amber, we'll have to look. This is only the second time I've been here, and the first I'm actually staying over," Nina replied as she started opening doors and looking in rooms.

"You mean your aunt is that old and you've only been here once?"

"My aunt and my Gran were not close, to put it mildly," Nina replied. "Oh! here's one with two beds. Come on." the girls dragged their bags into the room, Amber having the more difficult time since she had about twice the amount of bags that Nina did. As they were putting their stuff away, Nina's phone started buzzing.

_Nina- get ur brit frnds ready in 30min._

_-A_

_"_Who is it?" Amber asked. Nina looked over at her.

"It's Ayla, my friend from earlier? I guess she's taking us somewhere."

"Oh really? Where?" Nina shrugged.

"Not sure, she just said be ready in half an hour."

"Well did she say anything about where we're going?"

"Not a clue," Nina replied, shaking her head.

"Then how am I supposed to know what I'm to wear?" Amber asked. Nina laughed.

"Honestly? Knowing Ayla, you'll probably want tennis shoes. Other than that, it probably doesn't matter."

"Tennis shoes..."Amber looked thoughtful. "Do I own a pair of those? Are we playing tennis?" Nina laughed.

"No, we're not playing tennis. I don't think so, anyway. But I'm sure you own some. Didn't you say you went running with Mick a couple times when you were dating? What did you wear then?"

"Oh, like trainers! I have those." Nina laughed and shook her head. They heard a knock on the door and Fabian poked his head in.

"Hey guys, mind if I join you?" he asked as he walked in. Because, really, do you think they would've said no?

"Nina's friend is taking us somewhere in 15 minutes!" Amber told him excitedly.

"Well that's...nice? Where is she taking us, again?" Fabian asked, not at all sure if he was ready to be around Nina's strange friend for an extended period of time.

"Nina won't tell us," Amber replied.

"I won't tell you because I don't know myself!" Nina laughed.

-15 minutes later-

Amber, Nina, and Fabian were talking to each other when they heard a horn start beeping obnoxiously.

"Is it safe to assume that's your friend?" Fabian deadpanned. Nina rolled her eyes, laughing, and the three made their way down the stairs and out the door. Once they were on the porch, Amber stopped.

"Nina...how are we all going to fit in that truck? There are only two seats." Nina opened her mouth to reply, but before she could screams erupted in the air.

"NINA! We missed you so much!" Three girls had run up and practically jumped on Nina. The girls were too preoccupied with their reunion, and Fabian and Amber were too frightened to notice a fourth party walking up.

"Is there a hug for me in there?" the boy asked after the girls finished hugging. He was tall and tan with brown hair, and he had a lazy half-smile on his face.

"Jonah, hi, it's been awhile," Nina greeted, giving the boy a half wave.

"Aw, come on Nina, what kind of a greeting is that?" the boy, Jonah, laughed. He walked over and picked Nina up in a hug, spinning her around. The other girls laughed, and Amber and Fabian looked on, feeling slightly akward and maybe a little bit out of the loop. The only question on Fabian's mind was _who _was this Jonah kid? After Jonahfinally put Nina down she seemed to remember Amber and Fabian were there.

"Oh! Guys, this is Amber and Fabian, my friends from school. Amber, Fabian, this is Bailey, Jaime, and you already know Ayla, and this is Jonah."

'Nice to meet you's, 'what's up's, and 'how do you do's were exchanged. After everyone became somewhat acquainted, the group walked over to the truck. Jonah got in the driver's seat, and Ayla in the passenger. Nina and the other two girls, Jaime and Bailey, climbed into the bed of the truck. Fabian, not knowing whatelse to do, followed behind. Amber was left looking uncertainly after them.

"Are you sure this is safe?" Amber asked.

"Of course!" the girl with black hair replied, Bailey, she thought. "We do it all the time!"

"Okay..." Amber reluctantly climbed into the back of the truck.

"So, do you guys know where we're going?" Nina asked the two girls, who gaped in response.

"You're kidding, right?" Jaime asked, shocked.

"Um...am I missing something?" Nina asked.

"Nina, do you know what today is?" Bailey asked. Nina looked confused.

"Umm...Saturday?"

"And what was yesterday?"

"Friday?"

"Nina...you're totally missing the point. What is today's date?"

"June 3rd?" Nina still looked confused. Then, suddenly, a look of realization crosser her face. "Ooooooh, it's June 3rd!" It was Amber and Fabian's turn to look confused now.

"What's June 3rd?" Fabian asked. Bailey and Jaime looked at each other.

_

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**[A/N] Ohhhh what's June 3rd? I bet you all want to know! Or not, you know, whatever. And now...**

**Nicolette_May_Summers- Whoa…I didn't even consider that. That would have been such a nightmare for Fabian! Haha! And Nina is crying because, the way I see it, her Gran just died and now she figures out that she is living with someone she absolutely hates? That seems like it would be more than a little stressful to me. So…basically she was crying out of stress? I probably could've explained that in fewer terms…**

**rockenweirdo- I know! Haha I was like "awww!" when I wrote it :)**

**name_here_please- Hmm…interesting theory. It does seem like something that would happen in a television show**

**Hiya- Don't worry; Ayla IS pretty much the teen American girl stereotype, but I have other incoming characters that are the typical American teenager as I know it. So it will get better haha!**

**Sakina-chan- Yeah, she scares me too! And I wrote her in! And don't worry, I am gradually working my way up to some more Fabina. Just waiting for one more character to show up…**

**NebraeExbaren- Hmm….you have a good point. Victor is a little too…Victor to be good. If that makes sense?**


	6. Chapter 6

**[A/N] A quick recap, just so everyone is up to speed. Don't want anyone getting lost in the story, now do we? Now, just start talking in an epic movie trailer voice in your head. Or, think of the voice that says "So what happens next on House of Anubis?" after every episode (if you can remember that voice).**

**Last time, we found Fabian and Amber overwhelmed by Nina's friends back home, and a little at ease at being whisked away to a secret location. On their minds are two burning questions (well…**_**Amber**_** has two burning questions. Fabian only has one.); where are they going, what is so special about June 3****rd****, and who the **_**hell**_** is Jonah?**

**New characters:**

**Aunt Catherine**

**Ayla**

**Bailey**

**Jaime**

**Jonah**

**^ All of the above are Nina's closest friends back at home, with the exception of her aunt.**

"So Nina, what's so special about June 3rd?" Fabian asked. Nina gave a little laugh.

"It's really stupid…there's this urban legend basically about a woman who lived in a house during the Second World War. The story goes; she lost both her sons and her husband in the war. Anyway, she basically went crazy and never left her house again. Kids starting playing pranks, it out hand, one thing led to another, the house burnt down…"

"Her house burnt down? Oh, that poor woman, where did she go? Wait…how did the house burn down?" Amber asked. Bailey laughed.

"I'll take it from here Nina. Um…Amber, is it? Well, no one knows for sure how, but rumor has it one of the kids threw a lit cigarette through an open window and poof! Up in flames within a couple of hours. The woman didn't make it out." Amber gasped.

"Rumor has it, when you go there at midnight on this day every year, you can still hear her screaming for help," Jaime added sinisterly. Amber's eyes widened and her mouth dropped even more.

"Why can you hear her screaming on this day?" Fabian asked.

"Because on this day, all those decades ago, was the day she was burned like the witch she was," Jaime replied before bursting into laughter.

"Wait…she was a witch?" Jaime shook her head in all seriousness, and Nina rolled her eyes at her friend.

"That's just a rumor. The whole thing is just a local legend. It's also likely that, if there even was a woman living there to begin with, she was long gone by the time it happened. No one knows for sure," Nina replied.

"You know, I remember when you were a pretty big believer in Devil's Hollow!" Jonah yelled through the back window of the truck.

"Devil's Hollow? Is that what it's called?" Fabian asked.

"That's what they call the opening where the house used to stand. All that's left now is a chimney. Anyway, so every year on the third, most of the high schoolers go and party all night," Nina replied. Fabian nodded. Amber was still staring wide-eyed.

"Wait…is the devil there? Why is it called Devil's Hollow? Nina I don't like this!" Amber cried.

"Amber, it's just a name, that's it! There's no devil, there's no evil, just everyone partying and having a good time," Nina comforted her. Amber let out a sigh of relief.

"A party? Yay!"

"So how long have you all known each other?" Fabian asked, changing the topic.

"Well, Nina and I have grown up together since we were, like, six. Our mom's were best friends, and her Gran practically raised my mom," Jaime replied.

"And Nina's Gran practically raised me," Ayla yelled from the cab.

"Only because we could never get her to leave," Nina joked.

"And Bailey moved here a couple years ago," Jaime added. "But Nina and Jonah have known each the longest."

"Is that so?" Fabian couldn't stop but feeling a little annoyed at that. He was hoping they would drop it after that, even though it was he who brought it up, but of course that was too much to wish for.

"We'll have to show you later, Nina and Jonah's moms had this ongoing picture album of them and there are always of these _hilarious_ pictures! Like, there's this one from Jonah's cousin's wedding where—"

"Okay, Jaime! They don't want to hear that story." Nina's face was as red as a tomato

"What's wrong with the story? I thought you…ooooh I see. Oh! Okay. Gotcha. Right. Anyway, here we are," Jaime said as the truck slowed to a stop. Jonah pulled over behind a long row of vehicles parked on the side of the road.

"Where's the party at?" Amber asked, looking around.

"See those trees right there?" Bailey asked, pointing on the other side of the road. Amber nodded. "About a half a mile behind those."

"And we're walking there?"

"You betcha!" she happily replied, jumping over the side of the truck.

"That is just…great. Great! I go to America and what do I have to do? Walk half a mile through trees and bushes and dirt…of all the things—"

"Amber! There's a path," Nin assured her, laughing at her friend.

-20 minutes, a half a mile, and the rest of the day light later-

"Nina, this party better be worth it," Amber grumbled angrily. Nina just laughed. The group had finally made it to the clearing. Bailey, Jaime, and Ayla immediately ran over to a group of girls standing next to a table. Jonah walked over to where a couple guys were standing next to a truck, which was blaring out music. As was the tradition, there was a huge bonfire going on next to the chimney where the house once stood. There were kids everywhere; some where gathered around the huge fire and others spread around in smaller groups. As the passed, someone handed Amber a red cup filled with something.

"Oh, thank God! I'm so thirsty after that walk!" Amber exclaimed. Nina snatched the cup out of her hands before she could. "Nina! What was that for?"

"Trust me Amber, you don't want to drink that," Nina replied, dumping out the cup.

"Well why not? I'm thirsty!"

"Because, assuming this is like it has been since forever, then you were just about to drink some really nasty beer." Amber scrunched her noise.

"Ew…" Nina laughed.

"Come on; let's get you a water bottle."

"Nina!" they heard Ayla yell. They turned around to see her waving them over. They walked over and were introduced to even more people.

**[Here is where my writer block has shoved me into a wall. So I'm going to skip over to some interesting action now…sorry! But you'd rather read that than the boring parts, right?]**

-A little bit later…let's say it's about 10 pm now? Yeah, that works.-

Amber, Nina, and Fabian had been talking and laughing with some other kids. Although Amber had been peeved about having to walk so far, she had to admit that she was having a fun time.

"Hey, Nina, can I talk to you for a minute?" Jonah asked, coming up behind them.

"Sure! What's up?" Nina asked cheerfully.

"Um…" Jonah started rubbing the back of his neck. "Can we talk…alone?" Nina looked lost for words for a moment, and looked back at Fabian and Amber.

"You know what? I don't think I ever got that water. Come on Fabian, let's go get one," Amber said. Fabian opened his mouth to object, but Amber grabbed his wrist and started pulling him, rather forcefully, he might add. "Now." Nina watched her friends retreating backs.

"Uh…sure, Jonah." Nina said. Jonah led her over to the barn on the other side of the field. Nina sat on an old latter that led up to the loft. Jonah took a seat next to her.

"So…what did you want to talk about?" she asked.

-with Fabian and Nina-

"Where did they even go?" Fabian asked. Amber shrugged.

"Hey look! There's her friend Ayla. Maybe she knows." Amber waved the girl over.

"Hey! Are you guys having fun?" Ayla asked happily.

"Loads! But we were wondering if you knew where Nina ran off to?"

"Oh, I think her and Jonah just went over by the barn over there. About time, too." The girl seemed to lose her balance for a moment, and then started laughing. Amber and Fabian looked over at each other. Ayla seemed a little bit…drunk, maybe?

"What do you mean about time?" Fabian asked.

"Oh please, don't tell me you didn't see the way he looks at her? You know, he was going to ask her out the day she told us she got accepted at your fancy school in jolly ol' England!" Ayla ended in a –very- horrible British accent.

"Okay, well, we'll see you later than," Fabian said starting to walk in the direction of the barn. Amber quickly followed, Ayla giggling and going off to nearby group of people.

"I wonder what they're doing behind a barn…" Fabian said, mostly to himself.

"Wait, Fabian." Amber held her hand out in front of Fabian as they passed the entrance to the building.

"What?"

"Listen," Amber ordered, pointing towards

"Hey, Nina, do you remember the last time we were here?" Jonah asked, scooting closer to Nina. Nina's face started blushing madly.

"Yeah…I remember, Jonah…"

"You know I really missed you while you were away." Nine nodded.

"Yeah, I missed you too." Jonah started leaning in. "What are you doing?" Nina asked.

"Nina, we've known each other since diapers. You know how I feel about you. And you know we've always been great together. And we had that amazing kiss last year…"

"They kissed?" Fabian whispered to Amber in outrage. Before Amber could say anything, Fabian turned around and stalked out of the barn. Amber, torn between going back to Nina and going after Fabian looked between the two before deciding that Fabian needed her more. _Besides_, she thought,_ this is good for Nina. Probably this is something she needs to figure out before she can be with Fabian_.

Meanwhile, Nina was standing over Jonah with an angry expression.

"We never kissed, Jonah. I don't know what you're talking about." Nina glared down at him.

"What are you talking about? Of course we did! Under the willow tree? Remember? What did you think I was talking about?" Nina shook her head.

"I thought you were talking about you puking on my shoes! If you kissed someone last year, it wasn't me," Nina replied, turning to leave. Jonah stood up and quickly grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

"Okay, maybe you're right. Maybe that wasn't you, but it can be."

"What are you talking about?" Nina asked.

"Come on, Nina. We're all alone, and we're obviously meant to be together. We could have a lot of fun." He leaned down to kiss her, but Nina pulled away.

"Have you been drinking?" Nina asked. Pulling her arm out of his grasp.

"No more than usual," he replied, laughing. "Come on, Nina." He tried pulling her closer by her waist.

"No more than usual? When did you start drinking in the first place?" Nina pushed his hands away. "You know what? I'm leaving. We'll talk tomorrow when you're sober."

"When did you become such a bitch?" Nina stopped in her tracks and turned around.

"What did you say?"

"I said, when did you…when did you…when did y—" His words were cut off when he puked all over the ground. Nina threw her hands up in the air.

"That is just disgusting! Of all the things…just like last year…" Nina fumed as she left the barn. She saw Amber and Fabian standing in the distance. She walked up to them.

"Oh my gosh, you guys will not believe what just happened!" Nina exclaimed. Fabian walked away, acting as if he hadn't even noticed she was there. Nina looked at Amber.

"What's wrong with Fabian?" she asked, worry evident in her voice.

"What do you think is wrong with him?" Amber asked. Nina shrugged. "You and Jonah? You could've at least warned him. He may be Fabian, but he has feelings too."

"What are you talking about? There is no me and Jonah." Nina pushed stray hair behind her ear.

"Well that's not what it looked like from where we were standing." Nina looked away.

"Wait," she said, looking back at Amber. "Why would Fabian care if there was anything going on between Jonah and I?"

"Isn't it obvious?" When Nina shook her head no, Amber rolled her eyes. "Nina, Nina, Nina, I swear sometimes you miss so much because—"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah I know because I'm American."

"No, because you're you! And Fabian is the same way. And when you put you two together it is a complete train wreck." Nina sighed and looked away again. "But that's why you two are so perfect together."

"I should go find him, shouldn't I?"

"What do you think?" Nina smiled, more to herself than anything, before turning around and walking after Fabian.

"I swear," Amber said to herself. Just then a boy passing by smiled at Amber. "Maybe this whole American party thing could be fun."

**[A/N] I hope you liked that chapter! It was much longer compared to the last couple, I think. So what are you all thinking about the story so far? Jonah is turning out to be a real asshole, isn't he? Too bad this isn't the last of him though…anyway…**

**I_Write_Sins_Not_Tragidies- Yeah, you pretty much just made my day with that comment! Haha!**

**Kayyyllla- You found this on Google? That is awesome!**

**EternalAngel33- haha sorry, I don't mean to be!**

**Reid-and-Review-plzz- Haha did I update fast enough for you?**

**clarinetto14- that was the cliff hanger part of it all!**

**Glad you are all reading and reviewing the story!**

**-Meredith Glass**


	7. Chapter 7

Nina walked over to Fabian after finally catching up with him. He was sitting on the ground picking at blades of grass.

"Hey Fabe," she greeted. Fabian looked up and nodded at her. "Are you having fun?" When Fabian didn't answer, she sat down next to him. "Is everything okay?"

"Uh, yeah, of course," he replied, not looking at Nina.

"Fabian, it's me, remember? I can tell when you're lying." She put her hand on his shoulder. "What's wrong? You seemed fine earlier." Fabian sighed.

"Look, Nina—"

"Uh oh, that doesn't sound good…" Fabian laughed.

"Nina, I know we haven't really known each other for long…but we've been through a lot together. I've been feeling like this for a while, and…"

"Feeling like what, exactly?" Nina asked. Fabian finally looked at her, but only for a moment before staring into the darkness of the woods.

"So, how is Jonah?" he asked, changing the subject.

"I don't know. Probably puking behind the barn," she replied, laughing a little. Fabian couldn't help but let a small smile grace his face. Nina pushed him playfully. "I knew I could get a smile from you." Fabian rolled his eyes, but still couldn't keep the smile from growing bigger.

"Should you go and see if he's okay?"

"I think he'll manage. Besides, I'm sure I'd have much more fun with you." They kind of just stared at each other for a couple seconds, but to each of them it felt like forever.

"Nina…I like you," Fabian blurted out. Once he realized what he said, his face immediately blushed a deep shade of red and he looked away. _Thank God it's dark out…_he thought. "A lot…"

"Fabian," Nina said softly. He looked up to see her smiling at him; his heart skipped a beat. "I like you too." She gave a little laugh. "A lot." The two sat in silence smiling at each other for who knows how long. Neither of them wanted to move. Neither of them wanted it to end. "So…what now?" she asked.

"I have no idea. To be honest, I really wasn't expecting you to like me back."

"Well I do…" There was a beat of silence.

"This is awkward, isn't it?"

"Yeah, but I'd say it's more like a good awkward than an awkward sort of awkward," Nina replied decisively.

"Yeah, a very good awkward," Fabian smiled.

"Um…we should probably…probably go check on Amber. I'm sure she's overwhelmed by now," Nina stuttered. Fabian looked back at the party. In the distance, he saw Amber talking to some guy. From what it looked like, she was flirting with him.

"I think she'll be alright," he assured her as he started to lean down.

"Uhh…Nina, Fabian?" a voice said. Fabian closed his eyes a sighed. The two turned around to see Ayla standing behind them. "I'm going to take Jonah home now. Bailey and Jaime are going to Tanner's house. I can give you a ride, although that may not be the best idea," Ayla said glancing at Fabian. "Anyway, Tanner said he could drop you guy's off on the way. You know, he's just a road over from Aunt Catherine's…" Nina nodded.

"Okay. See you tomorrow?" Ayla nodded. Nina looked back at Fabian.

"Come on, we should go. It's getting late. Let's go get Amber."

-back at Aunt Catherine's-

The three walked into the house and started to head up stairs.

"Nina," Aunt Catherine's voice rang through the house. "Nina, come here for a moment." Nina looked back at her friends and nodded for them to go upstairs. She walked into the living room to find her aunt seated in a chair next to the fireplace; of course, being summer, there was no fire. "We have a few things we need to discuss. Sit down," she commanded, gesturing to a chair opposite her. Nina did as told, sitting stiffly on the edge of her seat.

"Sorry we got back so late."

"Don't you think I know what you were doing? When your grandmother and I were young was when that whole tradition started. That's not what I am wanting to talk to you about."

"Then what is it?" Nina asked, confused.

"After you and your friends went to Devil's Hollow, I got a call. It seems that the realtors would like to start showing the villa later this week, so I don't know what you have planned tomorrow, but you should pencil in time to get your stuff and go through your grandmother's to determine what you want and what you don't." Nina nodded. "You can go on upstairs now. You'll want a goodnight's sleep, trust me." Nina nodded again and stood up. She started walking towards the stairs, but stopped.

"Aunt Catherine, you and Gran—"

"Bed, Nina," Catherine cut her off. Nina walked up stairs.

* * *

**[A/N] Yeah, this is reallly super short, but I was in a crunch for time and I wanted to get it out. Plus, I figured since they're FINALLY together basically, I was hoping that would make up for it? Thanks for all the reviews! I'm also thinking of skipping a couple days in the story line. just like, not important stuff. I hadn't realized what a big time frame I set for their time in America and frankly I don't think I can fill it all up without a lot of boring lag time. But I'm not sure yet.**

**Christian_Cadet- Haha I completely agree on that.**

**I_Write_Sins_Not_Tragedies- A million gazillion? For that, the life elixir would HAVE to be real!**

**AvidReader- …I updated! How long did it take you to copy and paste that? Pretty impressive, I'd say.**

**harryandginnylover- Thank you! I'm glad you like it! : )**


	8. Chapter 8

"So, how are we getting to your Gran's house, Nina?" Amber asked.

"We are going to walk," Nina replied happily. Amber groaned.

"More walking? God, you would think more people in America would have cars, especially out here in the middle of nowhere…seriously, do you walk everywhere?"

"It's healthy for you!" Nina laughed.

"Shut up…"Amber grumbled as they started down the road. "So, Fabian, I heard you and Nina got pretty steamy at the party last night." Nina's mouth dropped and Fabian's face flushed red. Amber had a self-satisfied smile on her face.

"Amber that is not what I said!" Nina stuttered.

"I know, I just wanted to see your reactions. But seriously, are you two together now or what? Because everyone in the house is just waiting for you two to come to your senses. I wouldn't be surprised if Victor and Trudy had their own little pool going."

"Wait, you guys were betting on when Nina and I would get together? How do you even know we like each other?" Fabian asked, his face still red.

"Oops…sorry…I wasn't supposed to say anything. And Fabian, really? It was so obvious. You both are horrible at masking your emotions, obviously since everyone saw it before you two did." Nina opened her mouth to reply, but closed it again when a rusty old pickup truck pulled over ahead of them on the road. The driver got out and called to the group.

"Hey, y'all need a ride?"

"No, that's oka—"

"YES! Yes, we would _love _a ride. Thank you Jonas!" Amber called.

"Jonah," Nina corrected.

"Right! Jonah! Thank you!"

"Amber, what are you doing?" Nina frantically whispered.

"Look, I know you two aren't on the best of terms right now, but I am not walking all the way to your Gran's in these shoes, especially not with all this dust kicking around. How about this: I'll sit up front with Jerry or Jackson or whatever his name is, and you and Fabian can sit in the back. Happy?" Nina still looked unsure, but complied anyway.

"So where y'all headin'?" he asked.

"My Gran's house," Nina yelled from the bed of the truck.

"You got it." The ride there, which would potentially be an awkward situation, was filled with Amber talking Jonah's ear off. It was easier that way, though; any questions about her and Fabian or her and Jonah could be avoided, and there would be no chance of Jonah bringing up the previous night's events. Pretty soon, the truck was pulling into a drive way.

"Y'know, I can't believe y'all were actually going to walk all the way. That's about a 45 minute trek at best, maybe an hour."

"An _hour_?" Amber glared at Nina.

"Walking is healthy!" Nina justified. Fabian laughed and grabbed her hand. Jonah looked at their intertwined hands in surprise.

"Why do you have two driveways?" Amber asked. Nina laughed.

"Amber, this is a villa. Another family lives on the other side." Amber made an 'o' with her mouth and nodded.

"Hey! Are you gonna need someone to take y'all home?" he shouted at their retreating backs. Nina stopped and turned around, still holding Fabian's hand.

"Um…sure. Yeah, that's be great," Nina said, giving him a small smile before turning around and leading her friends inside. Jonah took off his hat and hit the truck with it before getting back in.

"Wow…it sure is small in here," Amber commented. "I mean, not that that's a bad thing, I just...I don't know," Amber quickly added when she realized what she said.

"It's no problem Amber. It was just my Gran and me here, and usually Ayla. We didn't need much space." Walking into the home, the group immediately found themselves standing in the living room. To their left was a small circle table set off from a kitchen area. Adjoined to that was a hallway with two open doors, one a bathroom and the other looked like a bedroom. Across from the living room they were standing in was a little room with a computer sitting on a desk and a little side table with a basket under it filled with homemade doll clothes and a sock monkey wearing a yellow dress with flowers on it.

"Nina, what is that?" Amber asked, pointing to the sock monkey. Nina 'awww'ed and walked over, picking the monkey up.

"This is Betsy! Oh my gosh I can't believe I forgot about her! This was my mom's when she was little. When I was little, we used to dress her up in doll clothes," Nina marveled, cradling the doll. She picked up the basket with the cloths and stuck it in one of the boxes sitting around.

"So, what do you want us to do, Nina?" Amber asked.

"Um…" Nina looked around. She handed Amber the box in her hands. "Can you just go around the house and put any pictures you find in here? And there are some photo albums in my Gran's closet in her room right through there, if you could." Nina pointed down the hallway. Amber nodded and started making her way around the house. "And Fabian, you…can…um…take another box and…um…put…stuff in it?" Fabian laughed.

"Like what?" he asked.

"Um, I don't know, like…" Nina looked around, trying to think of something else she wanted besides a bunch of pictures and a sock monkey. "Actually, can you help me get into the attic?" she asked.

"Sure, just show me where," Fabian agreed, nodding. Nina led him into the garage.

"Is that a door on your ceiling?" Fabian asked in confusion. Nina laughed and pointed to the door, which had a string hanging down.

"Just pull on the string and it should open. It might be hard though, it sticks a lot. We always had Jonah open it. Oh, and be careful! When it opens, the ladder is going to come down," Nina added quickly. Fabian walked up and tugged on the sting, it didn't budge at first, so he pulled harder. The door opened and the ladder came down with a bang. Fabian jumped out of the way. He turned, wide eyed, to Nina.

"It's trying to kill me!" he exclaimed. Nina laughed and walked over to the ladder. She unfolded it and started climbing up. Halfway she stopped and looked back at Fabian.

"Coming?" she asked, smiling. Fabian grinned back and followed her up the ladder.

"What did you need up here?" Fabian asked. The attic was pretty much bare, save for some old lawn chairs and some abandoned ratty hats.

"This," Nina replied as she crawled over to a box pushed back to the corner. Written on the box was "Ron and Nadine's."

"What is it?" Fabian asked, scooting over so he was sitting next to Nina. Nina sat there staring at the box.

"After they died…you know, I don't even know what's in this box!" Fabian, immediately understanding, put his arm around her reassuringly. "My Gran, she just…she made this box after my parents died. I used to see it when I would help her clean out the attic. When I asked what it was, she kept saying that she wanted me to open it ten years after the accident happened; that way, I would always remember them. When I was 12, I came home one day and there it was, sitting on the table in the kitchen. She didn't have to say anything; I knew what it was. I knew what day it was…" Nina's voice trailed off. "After a week, she put it back in her closet, and then she put it back out the next year, and the year after that…but I never opened it. And then one day she just stopped getting it out. She had Jonah put it back up here."

"Why didn't you open it?" he asked softly. Nina looked up, tears trailing down her face.

"I couldn't. To be honest, I'm kind of afraid of what's in it. I don't remember much of my parents; I guess I didn't want another reminder that I really never knew my parents. And that I never will…and, you know, before it was okay because I always had my Gran there to help me but now she's…" The tears came down faster. Nina looked at Fabian, her bloodshot eyes filled with hurt and fear. "Oh my God, Fabian, my Gran is dead! I'm all alone!" she choked out. Fabian pulled her into a hug as she started sobbing.

"Shh, it's okay Nina. You're not alone; you have me," he comforted her, rubbing circles on her back. "You have me, and Amber, and everyone back at Anubis. You have all your friends that love you here like Ayla, Jaime, and Bailey…and Jonah."

"What am I going to do, Fabian?" Nina cried.

"It's okay. It'll…it'll all be okay. I promise."

* * *

**[A/N] Awww! Looks like you all got your little dose of Fabina! Did you like it? Although I don't know how good this is. To be honest, I'm kind of hyped up on caffeine. Cherry Pepsi is my drug. Anyway, hope you liked the chapter. And now….**

**I_Write_Sins_Not_Tragidies- Thank you! That's really cool of you to say! I'm glad you like it! :D**

**Water_wolf_100- You know…that was completely accidental, but you are correct: Aunt Catherine IS coming off as a female Victor. But rest assured, another side of Aunt Catherine will soon bear it's face!**

**Samcabral- Thank you!**

**Name_here_please- …wait are you talking about the show? Because I was totally confused when I read your comment. Especially since we haven't seen hid nor hair of Jerome or Mara since, like, chapter two. But if I am right in assuming you ARE talking about the show then: OMG wasn't it adorable? Seriously, Jerome and Mara are so much better together that Mick and Mara! I mean, I felt sorry for Amber, but Jerome, with his flaws still, is so much better for Mara. Mara needs someone intelligent and Mick just isn't up to her level.**

**NebraeExbaren- Your words are very true. She was a different person then, definitely rebellious, but there is still so much about Aunt Catherine that has yet to be known. Hopefully all your Aunt Catherine questions will be answered!**

**Harryandginnylover- You must be psychic. And I'm glad you absolutely love where it's going : ) I aim to please!**

**Thanks for all the reviews! Keep reading and reviewing!**

**-Mere**


	9. A Moment With Ayla and Jonah

"Hey! Are you gonna need someone to take y'all home?" he shouted at their retreating backs. Nina stopped and turned around, still holding Fabian's hand. _What?_ He thought.

"Um…sure. Yeah, that's be great," Nina said, giving him a small smile before turning around and leading her friends inside, Jonah staring at Nina and Fabian's intertwined hands. Jonah took off his hat and hit the truck with it before getting back in. He quickly pulled out of the drive and back the way he came, this time though he turned the opposite way down the road, not stopping until he reached a long drive way, leading up to a large, white house sitting on a hill.

"Ayla! Ayla!" Jonah called out the window as he recklessly pulled into a drive way. Ayla looked up and smiled.

"Heeeeey, what's up babe?" Ayla called back. Jonah jumped out of the car and ran up to the porch.

"Did you know?" he asked

"What are you talking about?" she asked, giving a laugh at his wide-eyed look. He hopped over the railing next to her, grabbing her arm.

"Did you know Nina and that foreign dude are dating?" Ayla's smile fell from her face. She turned back to the flowers she had been watering.

"Um, yeah, she might've mentioned something like that."

"And you didn't tell me?" he exclaimed.

"I guess I, like, forgot about it or something."

"Forgot about it? Ayla, you said you would help me get back in Nina's good graces!"

"I know what I said!" Ayla snapped. "Besides, you're the one you screwed up anyway. I mean, really, after what happened to her parents you really thought it would be a good idea to hit on her _drunk_? Yeah, that's the way to do it," Ayla said sarcastically, rolling her eyes as she spoke. She walked across to the other side of the porch, Jonah following right behind her.

"You were the one who gave it to me in the first place! If you knew it was such a bad idea, then why did you do it? Where you trying to sabotage us or somethin'?" Jonah demanded.

"I don't need to sabotage you, you're doing a great job of it by yourself. Besides, most people know when they've reached their limit. Obviously, you don't." She put the water can down and started walking away, but Jonah snatched her arm again, this time gripping it tighter.

"Are you saying you are trying to sabotage mine and Nina's relationship?" he asked, glaring down at her. Ayla rolled her eyes.

"Please, Jonah, there is no relationship. If you hadn't noticed, Nina goes to school in _England_. She lives in _England_. And we both know how Nina doesn't do long distance; not with friends, not with her Gran, and certainly not with boyfriends," Ayla retorted, pulling her arm out of Jonah's grasp and walking off the porch towards an old barn. Jonah stood staring after her, opening and closing his mouth, trying and failing at thinking of a witty comeback.

"You're just jealous!" he finally called after her.

"And you're an asshole!" she yelled back. Jonah cracked a smile.

"So does this mean I'm forgiven?" he asked. Ayla turned around so she was walking backwards, using her hands to shield her eyes from the sun.

"Why not," she replied, smiling.

"And you'll help me with Nina?" he asked hopefully. Ayla looked away, and then back at Jonah. Instead of replying, she simply nodded her head. Jonah cheered.

"You're the best, A!" he called before running back to his truck and driving off leaving Ayla staring after him long after he disappeared from sight.

**[A/N] I know, no Fabina in this chapter, and no discovering secret treasures from boxes, but the plot line did unfold a bit more! And you're slowly learning more about the characters...not that you really need to know anything more about Jonah than he's an asshole, but still.**

**And I would just like to say this is so short BECAUSE it is just filler.**

**And that I never put a disclaimed.**

**So here it is:**

**I do not own HoA. Or Ossian. Or Indiana and it's airport. Or a truck.**

**I opted for a car. [A BLUE CAR! YEAHHH!]**

**Or any of the names, because if I did I would be earning some serious copyright cash right now instead of babysitting!**

**Thanks for the reads/reviews! :)**

**-Mere**


	10. Chapter 9

**[A/N] Just to warn you, near the end there will be some language popping up as a result of a confrontation. Just to warn you…so you're not too shocked haha not that you would be. I'll shut up now:**

"Okay," Nina said, wiping her eyes dry. "I'm done now; no more break downs. Sorry about that…" Fabian shook his head.

"It's fine, truly. Don't give it another thought." Nina laughed.

"I love how you talk…'don't give it another thought'…you're so English and proper!"

"Well, I'm glad you like it?" Fabian laughed. Nina put her hands to her face.

"Did I say that out loud? Just forget I said anything!"

"It's fine, really. Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah." Nina nodded. "I guess it never really hit me that she's actually gone. I mean, for so long she's been all I had…I never even got to say good bye! I didn't even know she was sick." Tears started welling up in Nina's eyes again.

"You didn't even know she was sick?" Nina shook her head.

"I only called her, like, every two weeks? And even then, she was stubborn. She wouldn't have told me even if I asked." Fabian nodded.

"So do you think you're going to open the box?"

"Well…do you think I should?" Nina asked, looking unsure.

"I think your Gran would have liked you to open it," he replied softly. Nina looked up.

"Yeah. Yeah, you're probably right. Okay, well, here goes nothing…" Nina picked up a screw driver out of a nearby tool box and slowly and carefully began to slide it in between the pieces of cardboard. Gingerly, she opened up the box. She gave a disbelieving laugh. "Are you serious?"

"What? What is it?" Fabian asked, sitting up straighter.

"I can't believe this," Nina said. "I cannot believe this!"

"Nina, what's wrong?" Fabian asked, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Look! Look in the box!" Nina demanded, gesturing to inside the box. Fabian leaned over before laughing at what he saw in the box.

"No way…are you serious? What is all this?"

"My Gran always told me that my parents were enthusiasts of the arts. They were photographers. My dad did stuff for magazines, and my mom was mostly family pictures and school pictures…"

"So this is their equipment?"

"Kind of. Sort of. Not really…" Fabian gave a laugh.

"That's…not really understandable at all," he said. This time, Nina was the one to laugh.

"They liked to collect different types of cameras, different accessories...actually, my Gran told me that in our old house we had an old school dark room."

"I thought your parents died when you were three?"

"Yeah, but I mean my Gran remembered enough for the both of us. And my dad loved filming everything, so there are always the home videos. God, I thought all this stuff was gone. You know, I've never seen it before. I just heard about it from Gran…she said my parents were always saying that I was going to be a photographer one day."

"And did you want to be a photographer?" he asked.

"Of course not! I was determined to be a fairy princess. I had a wand and everything!" Nina replied happily as she continued to examine the equipment. While Nina was so engrossed in looking through the items, a small smile graced Fabian's face as he watched.

"You know, your parents would be really proud of you," he said softly. Nina froze and then looked up hesitantly.

"You think?" she asked quietly.

"I know," Fabian replied, smiling at her. "Now, what do you say we get this downstairs and then finish up and maybe get something to eat?" Nina smiled wide.

"I think that sounds like a jolly good time," she replied, trying (and failing) to use a British accent. Fabian laughed at the pathetic-ness of it.

"We'll work on it," he assured her.

"You guys! Where are you?" Amber whined from somewhere in the house.

"Come on," Nina laughed. "Let's go get Amber."

Nina and Fabian exited the attic with the box of technology and rounded up Amber. Nina texted Jonah on her cell phone and he was there minutes later (it's easy to get around fast when you can go 75 mph on the virtually empty road). After putting Nina's boxes in the back, Amber sat in the passenger side again and Nina and Fabian jumped in the back. Instead of sitting across from each other like last time, Nina and Fabian sat next to each other, Fabian's arm around Nina. Jonah backed up the truck and pulled into the road.

"So how'd you get here so fast?" Amber asked. Jonah glanced at her.

"I was visiting a friend," he replied discreetly. Amber smiled.

"Ooooooh which friend?" Amber asked in a sing-song voice.

"Just Ayla."

"Ayla, hmm? You too seem peri-ty cozy." Jonah laughed.

"Please, Ayla and me are nothing. We're just friends. I've got my eye set on someone else," he replied, glancing at Fabian and Nina in the rearview mirror. "So how'd the big sorting go?" Nina and Fabian turned their heads to look into the truck cab.

"I don't know, got the rest of my clothes, some pictures…and my parents' box," Nina replied.

"Oh, yeah? Did ya ever open it?"

"Yeah, actually," Nina replied, looking at Fabian. "Fabian helped me." Jonah scowled for a moment, but quickly replaced it with a strained smile.

"Yeah? What was in it?"

"All of the film stuff. Some of it's pretty cool, too!"

"So does that mean you're gonna be taking up photography as another pastime now?"

"I don't know, maybe. But I've never been good at taking pictures." Jonah laughed.

"Yeah, just like you've never been good at lying. You know, one time Nina and I were running around town until 'bout two in the morning? We got back and wooo-eee was her Gran angry! And Nina tried to tell her we were helping an old lady cross the street! Of course, her Gran didn't take that all too well. Didn't she make you go to Ms. Catherine's house and clean off the bathrooms?" Jonah laughed.

"That would be the one other time I'd been to Aunt Catherine's," Nina nodded. Nina felt Fabian tense up beside her.

"You two were together a lot, I take it?" Fabian asked. Nina opened her mouth to reply, but Jonah beat her to it.

"Oh yeah, all the time! If one of us was somewhere, you could be expecting the other one to be comin' along. Ha, it used to be a town joke that one day Nina and I would get ourselves married!"

"Is that so?" Fabian asked through clenched teeth. Nina grabbed his hand.

"It was just a silly pool they had going," Nina replied as the truck pulled into Aunt Catherine's drive way. Nina and Fabian jumped out of the back of the truck. The four each grabbed boxes and took them inside, taking them up to Nina's temporary room. When they were done, they went back outside, three of them expecting one to get back into truck and get the heck away. Unfortunately for them, he decided to stick around and talk some more about "the good ol' times." His stories bored Amber, annoyed Fabian, and embarrassed Nina, but it seemed that just when they thought he was running out of stories, he remembered a new one. Little did they know, a few miles over Ayla was preparing to come and save them.

**-With Ayla-**

Ayla sat on her front porch, the same she had been sitting at for the past hour. She was waiting for Jonah to come pick her up and take her to a class she wanted to take at the library in the next town over. She pulled out her cell phone and looked at the time.

"Well, by the time I get there now it'll be over." She looked around to see if she could see a car coming. "Where the hell are you, Jonah?" She waited a few more minutes before running to the barn and grabbing her bike. She had a pretty good idea of where he was. A half hour later, he proved her right. She rode her back up Aunt Catherine's driveway, throwing her bike down half way and running the rest of the way.

"Jonah," Ayla said, walking up to where he was talking with Nina and her friends. He glanced at her before replying,

"Not now, Ayla. I'm busy."

"Jonah, I need to talk to you, like, right now." Jonah hesitated.

"Come here," he said, grabbing her arm and pulling her towards his truck. "Look, I'm trying to get back on Nina's good side right now. What do you want?" he hissed.

"You were supposed to take me to the library, remember? They had that genealogy seminar today and I wanted to go!"

"Well, something came up!"

"You could have told me! I was sitting on the damn porch for an hour!"

"Why didn't you just take your Ma's car?"

"Because she had to work today, dumbass! Why do you think I asked you to begin with?"

"Well, I had some Nina-related business to take care of!" he exclaimed.

"What are you doing?" Ayla asked suspiciously.

"What do you mean, what am I doing? I figured out the perfect way to create a rift between her and Fabio or whatever." Ayla rolled her eyes.

"It's Fabian, and you better not be up to anything reckless."

"Relax! I'm just telling stories of me and Nina. It's working too. Just look at him. He's not very good at hiding his annoyance."

"Jonah—"

"Ayla, trust me," Jonah said before turning around and walking back over.

"Jonah, you're just going to piss her off if you keep be all relentless and shit! You'll just end up pushing her all the way back to fucking England!" Jonah glared at her.

"No, I'll make her see she belongs with me."

"Right, because that's worked so well over the past 10 years! And what if she finds out what we did while she was gone? You think she'll want you then?" Ayla whispered angrily.

"She won't find out. I'm not your dad, Ayla; I won't let Nina find out about my mistakes," he replied harshly before turning around and walking back over to Nina and Fabian. Ayla stood where she was, frozen, staring after him.

"Ayla!" She turned to see Myrna standing on the porch waving her over. "Puedes ayudarme por favor?" Ayla nodded and started walking towards the house.

"Hey, is she okay?" Amber asked Jonah when he got back.

"'Course, why wouldn't she be okay?" he asked, flashing her a charming grin. Amber still didn't look convinced. "So anyhow, we were at the old playground next to the church yard, and Nina here thought she was all big and ruff and said she could climb a tree faster than me. So she just happened to pick the biggest tree in the lot and got to about the first string'a branches and then decided to be scared. I had to climb up and get her, but then I ended up getting stuck too! We were up there for three hours before anyone figgered out where we were!" Amber saw Fabian's fingers twitching as he tried to mask his aggravation.

"Hey, Nina, I'm going to go inside and use the loo," Amber dismissed herself.

**-With Ayla (again)-**

Myrna was friends with Nina's Gran, and was at their house frequently for lunch or something, so Ayla had gotten to know her pretty well over the past few years. Every once in a while when Nina was gone, Ayla would go over to Catherine's and help Myrna do a few odd jobs. It was mostly something to pass the time, mostly because Myrna was born in the Dominican Republic and, although she could speak English, it was easier for her to speak Spanish, and she would never admit it, but talking with Myrna was why she did so well in her Spanish class.

"Que necisitas?" she asked. Myrna pointed to a box.

"Please put it in the cellar," she asked in her thick accent. Ayla nodded. Right after she closed the cellar door behind her, Amber walked in the house and spotted Myrna.

"Oh! Hello! My name is Amber. Did you see a girl come through here just now?" she asked. The woman nodded and pointed towards a door. "She went through there? Thank you so much!" Amber walked over and opened the door. "Oh great, _another_ cellar. Creepy, dark ,rats everywhere…" It wasn't as bad as back at Anubis, however, because there were lights on right away. "Ayla?" Amber asked as she reached the bottom of the stairs. She was surprised to see the girl sitting on a turned over bucket, crying. "Are you okay?" Ayla looked up, startled.

"Um…yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. Just boy trouble, I guess," she replied quickly, wiping a few stray tears off her face. She had make up leaking down both cheeks. "Sorry," she apologized, trying to wipe her face dry. Instead, she ended up smearing it around her face. "I'm…I'm not usually like this…"

"Here," Amber said, taking a tissue out of her pocket. She wiped the black trails off her face.

"Thanks. I'm really not usually like this. It's just been a rough day," Ayla replied, giving Amber a shaky smile. Aside her eyes being red and puffy, she looked different without her usual amount of make up on.

"You know, you look a lot prettier without all that makeup you usually cake on. And you're a lot easier to understand when you talk and act like a normal person and not all ditzy," Amber smiled. Ayla laughed through her tears.

"Yeah…I guess everything on MTV isn't always cool to copy."

"Why do you try so hard to be someone else just to get a guy? Shouldn't he like you for who you already are? Or is it some American thing?" Amber asked. Ayla gave a resentful half laugh.

"I don't know. I guess…it's just a thing. But you know, you like this guy, a lot, but you know he's hopelessly in love with one of your best friends…and I just got carried away." She laughed again. "I probably sound like an idiot to you." Amber shook her head.

"You don't sound like an idiot; believe it or not I know exactly what you're going through."

"You do?"

"Yeah…it really sucks, doesn't it?" Ayla nodded.

"What did you do about it?"

"Nothing. I just let it go. I ignored it for awhile. It got harder though; had a couple freak outs on the way. Eventually, they realized that they liked the idea of each other better than they actually liked each other, but by then I moved on. I didn't even try to get him back."

"But…but what about fighting for what you want? Don't you gotta stand up for yourself?" Amber shook her head.

"You can't change how people feel. You have to let them figure that out for themselves. It may not be what you want, but whatever they decide is up to them."

"But what if it's the wrong decision?"

"Then let them make it. You can't do much about it." Ayla looked thoughtful for a moment.

"What if their decision could hurt more people than it'll help? Then what?" Amber looked thoughtful for a minute.

"Sorry, I think that was about as deep as I can go in one day." Amber got up and walked to the doorway, where she stopped and turned back around. "Besides, that's probably something you need to answer yourself. But…whatever you decide, I'm sure you'll have your reasons. See you at the funeral tomorrow."

"See you," Ayla replied, staring into space. She knew what she had to do, even if it meant hurting the one person who had always been there for her.

**[A/N] DUH DUH DUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUH! ****WHO is she talking about? Is it Nina? Is it Jonah? Or someone else entirely? Only time will tell…or the next couple chapters. Did you like this chapter? It's a lot longer than the others, but I couldn't pick a good stopping point. How did you like Amber's OOC deepness? And…I still can't find a good aspect on Jonah. Rats! Or not, you know, whatever. Oh! And sorry if my Spanish grammar is incorrect. I've been out of the class for almost a year now, so it's a little rusty. Oh, and sorry it took me awhile, but just consider this a late Valentine's Day/ Presidents' Day gift from me to you!**

**AND CAN SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME? Does anyone know how the whole beta thing works? Someone asked me to be their beta, and we have run into the wall of neither of us knowing what, exactly, how to be/use a beta…Help!**

**Pandacat1bagillion- That place seems kind of amazing. Haha I'm glad you like it!**

**ThePenIsMighty- Thanks!**

**Harryandginnylover- You are very correct, but, in a moment of vagueness, everything may not be what it seems…hmm…but don't worry, even if they ARE broken up for a chapter or two, I tend to think of myself as a cliché writer, so by the time the story is over they will be happily reunited.**

**NebraeExbaren- Thank you! I'm glad it wasn't a completely pointless chapter : )**

**I_Write_Sins_Not_Tragidies- Haha Jonah [not so graciously] accepts the award. After all, what kind of asshole accepts something graciously?**


	11. Chapter 10

**So sorry I took so long! I've been so busy...I had a research paper to write and just trying to get caught back up in my classes, it's been so hectic! I'm wrapping the story up, if you can't tell already. Who is excited for the ending? I know I am! This'll be the first fully finished story I'll have on here. Maybe then I can get to finishing my stories I've left hanging...or write another HOA...or both? haha we'll see. Thanks for your patience!**

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**Amber woke up and noticed Nina wasn't sleeping in the bed next to her. She sat up, confused, and looked around the room. Everything was how it had been when they went to sleep the night before. She got up and quietly went up to Fabian's room to see if Nina had somehow found her way there. She quietly creaked open the door and saw Fabian sleeping soundly in his bed. She rolled her eyes and walked over to his sleeping form.

"Fabian wake up." When he didn't respond, Amber smacked him on the head. He jolted up.

"Amber! What was that for?" he asked, rubbing the spot she hit.

"Where's Nina?"

"How should I know?"

"Because you're Fabian and you two always know where each other are."

"Well, I don't." Amber sighed.

"Okay, come on then."

"What?"

"We're going to find Nina. Now hurry up and get dressed." Amber walked out of the room, leaving Fabian to get ready. While Fabian was upstairs, Amber went down to see if Nina was somewhere down there. Instead of finding Nina, however, she ran into the lady she met yesterday.

"Oh, hello! Do you know where Nina went?" she asked. The woman nodded.

"Nina and Ms. Werling **[Aunt Catherine's married name, for those who are confused]** went to the funeral home early. When you and the boy are ready I will drive you over," the lady replied in a thick Spanish accent.

"Thank you," Amber replied nodding. She went back up the stairs, running in to Fabian half way. "Oh, Fabian," she said, looking at his jeans and t-shirt. "You have to change." Fabian looked at her confused.

"Why, exactly?"

"Because when we're ready the maid, or whoever she is, is going to drive us to the funeral home." Fabian made an 'O' with his mouth.

"I almost forgot. Today's the day..." Amber nodded.

"It's a little hard to forget, don't you think?" Amber looked away. "Do you think she's okay?" When Fabian didn't respond, Amber nodded. "Right. I thought as much. I'll see you in five." Fabian nodded and walked back upstairs to change. A few minutes later, they were in a car that seemed to be taking them further into the middle of nowhere. After about twenty minutes, they arrived at an old looking church. It wasn't as depressing looking as Amber had thought it would be. There were people everywhere, talking and laughing. Children were running around and playing on the playground and in the old baseball diamond. Amber leaned forward in the car.

"Are you sure we're in the right place?" Amber asked. "Everyone looks all happy...and stuff."

"Si," the woman replied. "Nora was very loved by everyone. She was a happy person. She would want us to celebrate her life, rather than mourn her." The old woman pulled into the packed parking lot. Amber and Fabian got out and looked around for Nina, who was no where in sight.

"Hey!" a voice greeted from behind them. Amber and Fabian turned around to see Jaime and and Bailey standing behind them.

"Oh, hello," Amber replied. Fabian nodded at them. "Have you guys seen Nina?"

"She's in with Father Andrew with Aunt Catherine and my grandma. She should be out soon; my mom said that they probably would wait awhile to go through everything with her, something about her being emotionally unable to deal with it all." Jaime shrugged before straightening up. "Oh, hey Jonah!" she called. Amber and Fabian turned around to see Jonah walking towards the group, a frown on his face.

"Where's Neens at?" he asked. Bailey started to answer, but was interrupted when the church bell began to ring.

"Well, time to go in," Bailey said. The group headed into the church where they were ushered towards the pews. The ceremony started a few minutes later. Amber and Fabian looked around for Nina, but she was no where in sight for the duration of the whole thing. After the ceremony, they went out to the grave yard and gathered around the freshly dug hole. Noticing that Nina was still no where to be seen, Fabian finally decided to ask where she was now.

"Probably watching from the church," Jaime replied, pointing to a window on the second level of the church. Though he could not tell if there was a face looking down, Fabian could see the curtains pushed aside. "Nina doesn't-Nina has never really liked being around graves. It just brings back so many bad memories for her, you know? She was so young when her parents died that the only memories she really ever had of them were staring at their stones. I mean, going she used to get panic attacks just driving by the grave yard because she was so freaked out, but that's all understandable, you know? It _is_ one of the reasons she left for boarding school." Jaime blushed. "But I'm sure you know all about that," she rushed out.

"What's understandable?" Amber asked, joining the conversation.

"Nina not being down here. After awhile it turned from just this one to pretty much any graveyard we passed. England has cemetaries, right? You must've seen her freak out a few times. It's not like it's easy to miss or anything." Amber and Fabian looked at each other. That was definately not something that Nina had mentioned to them, not something that they had experienced. Before either could respond, Father Andews had started talking again. Fabian couldn't help but focus his attention on the window Jaime had pointed out. A couple of times, he could've sworn that he saw something-some_one_ moving around behind it but he could never be quite sure. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw someone start walking back towards the church. He looked over to see Jonah walking quickly away from the group, Ayla following far behind at a much slower pace, almost as if she didn't want him to notice she was behind him. Fabian put his hand on Amber's shoulder and whispered to her that he would be back. He quietly removed himself from the crowded group and headed off in the same direction he had just seen Jonah and Ayla disappear to.

Once inside the church, he followed the pair all the way to the other side and up a flight of stairs. Instead of just barging in after to figure out what they were up to, he hung back at the top of the staircase, concealed behind a wall. He watched Jonah open a door and Ayla wait quietly until he was in the room before sneaking towards the door and inching it open. Once she was inside, the door still cracked, Fabian hurriedly raced to the door and listened carefully.

"Nina...we need to talk," he heard Jonah say.

"Can this wait Jonah? I'm really not up to it right now," Nina replied.

"No, Neens, it's important. We need to talk about things...about us."

"What 'us' Jonah?"

"Look, I know we've had some problems lately, but we can work them out! Just like we always did!" Fabian noticed Ayla had somehow managed to make her way unnoticed over to the bookshelves in the corner which she was now hiding behind.

"Jonah..." Nina's voice trailed off. "Jonah, we're different people now. There is no 'us.'"

"What?"

"Don't seem so surprised. What about that girl you said you were talking to a few months ago? She seemed nice."

"She didn't mean anything. She wasn't...she wasn't you. I thought she was, but she wasn't. I want _you_ Neens," he pleaded. He reached out to grab Nina's hand, but she pulled away.

"Jonah...I can't. I'm with Fabian. I'm sorry. I really like him. I just...can't." Jonah looked stricken, he eyes wide like a little sad puppy.

"What does that, that _loser_ have that I don't?" Nina looked at Jonah tiredly.

"He listens. We have things in common. He-I...We...I'm happy with him. We don't fight all the time and even if we do it doesn't last long at all. He tries to cover it up when I catch him looking at me, even though I know he was...he holds my hand...he wants to take things slow. Not fast like it was with you. I feel...special, you know? Not like I'm just another one of his conquests."

"Is that how you felt with me?" Nina sighed again.

"I think we both know we were always better as friends." Fabian watched Nina slowly walk up to Jonah and give him a soft kiss on the cheek before walking towards the door. Fabian stepped back and waited for her to come out. She looked surprised to see him there. "Fabian!" He pulled her into a hug, to which she laughed in response. "How much did you hear?" she asked.

"Enough," Fabian replied, putting his arm around her shoulders and leading her back down the stairs. "So...am I really that obvious when I stare at you?" Nina laughed.

"You're pretty bad..." Fabian simply smiled, and the two went down stairs. Back in the room Nina left Jonah in, Ayla moved from behind the shelves.

"Ayla?" he asked. She only looked back at him. "Hey, I need your help again," he said, walking towards her. He reached to put a hand on her arm but she jerked away. He looked at her questioningly. "Ayla, what's wrong? I'm so close; I just need to figure out a way for them to get in a really huge fight this time. No more baby tricks, I'm going to have to make sure that Nina won't even give him a second glance after this!"

"Jonah, I've been thinking, and maybe…" her voice trailed off as she second guessed telling him what was on her mind.

"Maybe what?" he asked, grinning at her.

"Maybe…maybe it's time for you to give up on your tryin' to get Nina," Ayla said, looking away.

"What?" he laughed. "What are you saying? You know how I feel about Nina. We're meant to be together." Jonah started to walk back towards the door, expecting Ayla to follow him like she always did.

"I know, I know, but maybe it's time to toss in the towel. I mean, with everything that's gone down lately, you know, with her Gran and everything…maybe you should just give it a rest for a bit."

"Your voice sounds different. Less…I don't know. You sound more grown up. More..." He snapped his fingers as if trying to remember something he'd forgotten. "I got it! It's the accent. Finally sound like you're from Wells County! And here I thought you were immune to it!" Ayla closed her eyes.

"Don't change the subject, Jonah."

"Aw, come on Ayla, don't be like that! You know how I feel about Nina!"

"And what about how I feel about you?" Jonah stopped in his tracks.

"What?" His smile faltered.

"Jonah, you're so obsessed with getting Nina to like you, you don't even think about anything anymore! In _two days_, Nina will be back on a plane to England, back to her fancy British school with her fancy British friends. And now…there's nothing keeping her here. Do you understand what I'm saying?" Jonah started walking back towards her.

"No, Ayla, I don't think I do. What are you trying to say?"

"Nina has a new life. She has a boyfriend, Jonah. That Fabian kid? They're head over heels for each other. Everyone can see what they have is the real deal. And when Nina leaves…she won't be coming back. And then you'll be all alone because you can't see that there is someone right in front of you who loves you like Nina never will!" She could just feel her eyes watering as she said it, could hear the desperation in her voice.

"Look, Ayla, I know we had a thing while Nina was gone, but that's all it was; a thing. While Nina was gone. But now she's back. And as long as I can convince her that it's for the best, no one, especially not some guy she's known for all of two seconds will be able to get between us. Ayla, Nina and I belong together." Ayla looked at him wearily.

"And what about us? You know, I've tried so hard to be the type of girl that you always said you wanted. God, I acted like such a…such a…such an airhead! And all because I thought that it would make you want me more than..." Ayla's voice trailed off. She looked down.

"More than what?" Ayla took a deep breath as she looked back at the angry boy in front of her. Her voice cracked as she spoke.

"More than Nina. But now I can see that no one will ever be able to measure up to the pedestal you put her on, Jonah." Her voice cracked again, and that was when small tears starting making paths down her face. "She will _never_ want you like I do. That is something I can promise you; she is in love with someone else. And nothing you say or do will change that."

"I thought you were on my side, Ayla. I guess I was wrong." He turned to walk away, but Ayla grabbed his arm to stop him.

"I am on your side. But you're fighting for the wrong thing. Don't you see that? You're fighting for someone who doesn't want to fight back for you. Alls that's going to happen is you're going to get hurt." Ayla let go of his arm and took a step back. "And maybe this time I won't be here to make it better."

"What are you trying to say?" Ayla pulled out a brochure from her pocket and unfolded it. Jonah snatched it from her hands. "What is this?"

"It's for an art school in New York; a scholarship program. Nina showed it to me. She wanted me to try and apply."

"What, and you actually want to do it? For what? You have the drawing skills of a beaver who was born without any little fingers or claws or whatever they're called!" Ayla grabbed it back from him.

"For my writing. And I already got in, Jonah. I talked to my parents, and I'm going starting next semester."

"So now you're leaving too? That's just…that's just great. You know, you and Nina turning your backs on all of us here is sure getting real old real fast."

"God, Jonah can you even hear yourself? Remember when the three of us used to talk about getting out of here? You wanted it just as much as we did. In fact, if I remember it correctly you and me wanted it a whole hell of a lot more than Nina did. And I really thought the three of us would do it together, too. But then you got so obsessed with tryin' to win her over and then she moved to England for school and I really thought you and finally been cured of your Nina Fever but then here she comes right on back after her Gran _dies _and you start right back up again_. _But what you don't see is that Nina has changed. She has awesome friends and a really sweet guy who thinks she's the best thing that's ever existed. I want that. I..._really_ want that. And, you know, who knows? Maybe in New York I'll find someone like Nina did; someone who actually cares about me." By now, Ayla had found her way to the door.

"What are you talking about, Ayla? I care about you!" Ayla gave a bitter laugh.

"Well ain't that the canary singing a different song. All you care about is yourself. And, honestly? I'm done. Nina's friend Amber was right. You're not worth trying to change for. Maybe you were before…but I don't even know you anymore, Jonah. You tryin' to get Nina? It's taken over your life. It's taken over you." Ayla took a deep breath. "For what it's worth, I really am in love with the Jonah that I knew while Nina was gone, even if he's gone now. Goodbye Jonah." She gingerly shut the door and started the long trek her house, leaving Jonah behind for the good.

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**[A/N] Soooo what did you all think? Again-sorry for the long wait! I'll try to wrap it up quickly.**

**xxxMere**


	12. Author's Note, PLEASE READ

**Sorry, I know I haven't updated in forever. It's the end of my school year and I've been swamped with projects and tests (NEVER take AP US History...the exam is a bitch) and I really haven't had time to update anything. I just want to let you know that the story is NOT over yet. That being said, I probably won't be able to update until early June, a day or so after my school gets out. Please, please, please do not give up on the story. I'm trying.**

**Thanks for understanding,**

**xxxMere**


	13. Chapter 11

"Hey, Fabe, you ready?" Nina asked, smiling at me from the doorway. I smiled back.

"Almost," I replied. She nodded.

"I'm going to go check on Amber. I'll meet you by the truck?" She flashed me another smile and then walked away. I don't know if I'll ever get over that, Nina being mine, that is. I'd been thinking about it since I met her, and then there was that kiss at prom, but I never actually imagined it'd be true. Especially after everything that's happened with Jonah.

I picked my bag up and took it out to Ayla's truck. As I was lifting it up to toss it in the truck bed, I felt eyes on me. I turned around to see Jonah walking towards me.

"Jonah," I greeted him, tensing up. He nodded at me. I never really knew what to expect from him. Wait, scratch that; I knew _exactly_ what to expect. It was almost a given he would hit on Nina. That was over though. Nina was coming back to England. And she had made it very clear that she wanted to be with _me_, not Jonah. Or, at least that's what Amber told me she's been doing since her first day at school.

"So…going back to England today," he said awkwardly, more a statement than a question. I nodded. It was like a sheet of awkwardness fell down over us. Neither really knew what to say. For a moment, we just stood there.

"You know," he continued, "if Nina wouldn't have gotten that scholarship she would be dating me right now." Of course.

"But she did."

"And I can't change that." He looked away, rubbing the back of his neck. He looked back at me, his eyes squinting against the sun. "You know, I'm never going to give it up. Every time she comes back here, with or without you, I'm not going to stop. I love her."

"Have fun with that. But I wouldn't hold your breath. Ayla told Nina everything."

"What do you mean?" he asked, confused. I gave a small laugh, happy to finally have something up on this guy.

"She told Nina what you two did why she was gone." Jonah laughed.

"Well, shit," he said. "That's going to make this a little harder then." I sighed. This was borderline pathetic. "Fabian," he started. His voice was strained. "You take care of her. She's…special." I opened my mouth to reply, but Ayla interrupted me.

"What are you going here, Jonah?" We turned around to see Ayla and Amber standing there, Ayla's hands on her hips.

"Where's Nina?" he asked. Ayla glared at him.

"She's inside saying goodbye to Ms. Catherine. You should leave before she comes out."

"I want to say goodbye." He took a step towards the house. Ayla stepped in front of him. "Ayla, get out of my way."

"Jonah, I think it's best that you leave."

"I don't want to leave, Ayla, I want to see Nina."

"Well Nina doesn't want to see you! You really need to go." I heard the front door open and saw Nina and her aunt walk out. She stopped for a moment when she saw Jonah, and then continued walking towards the truck.

"Nina," Jonah said, reaching for her. She stepped out of his reach and got in the car. "Nina, please! Just listen to me."

"No," she replied, turning around to see him. "What you did to Ayla was horrible! I can't even talk to you right now."

"What about tomorrow?" he asked desperately.

"No."

"Next week?"

"No!"

"Next year? Nina, how long will it take for us to go back to normal? Until you're back home for good?"

"I don't know Jonah. I don't know." She rolled up the window and turned towards Ayla, who had gotten in the front seat, and Amber who was in the back. Everything Nina said to him, he deserved, but at the same time I felt a little bad for him. If he liked Nina half as much as I did, I know what it feels like to not be able to be with her, and frankly it sucks. Still, rather him than I.

I nodded in goodbye and started walking towards the door Nina got in when I heard, just barely, Jonah's voice.

"Don't…don't hurt her." I stopped in my tracks and looked at him.

"I won't." He nodded and walked back to his truck. Nina scooted over when I got in. She leaned into my body when I put my arm around her, and I reminded me just how lucky I was.

"Ready to go home?" she asked. I smiled down at her.

"Home? I am so ready to go home."

"Hey, you guys," Amber said, popping her head up from the backseat. "I think we should have a party when we get back to Anubis."

"Amber, don't you think that's a little inappropriate?"

"Well I think it's a great idea, Amber," Nina said. "I'm sure we can get Trudy to make us a cake or something." Amber groaned.

"Trudy's cake? That sounds so good right now! You know, I bet Jerome and Mara and Nick and everyone misses us like crazy."

"Especially Alfie?" Nina laughed. Amber's face turned bright red.

"What?" I asked, confused. Nina smiled and me and patted my hand.

"Don't ask, Fabe, just don't ask."

-with Jonah-

"You shouldn't have lied to her," Jaime said, walking up behind Jonah.

"Ayla or Nina?"

"Well, Ayla, mostly. I mean she was a lot more hurt by you than Nina. I mean, Nina, she never really liked you like that anyway; not like Ayla did. And you were Ayla's first..." Jaime trailed off as Bailey started talking.

"Yeah, if you wouldn't have led her on so much this would have been a lot less painful for everyone."

"Look, Ayla's okay, but Nina-"

"Nina nothing!" Jaime cut off.

"Nina's on her way back to England with Amber and Fabian. And for her sake I hope she never comes back," Bailey added.

"Aren't you supposed to be her friend?" Jonah asked.

"Aren't you?" Jaime shot back.

"I am her friend!"

"No you're not. Ayla and Nina were the only ones who ever really liked you. And now neither of them do." Jonah scoffed.

"Ayla will be crawling back just as soon as she realizes this New York thing is a bad idea."

"If only she hadn't realized what a lying scumbag you were first. Now you're just going to have to find a new girl to screw over. Personally, I'm glad you lead her on. She was really naive until you started going out."

"We never went out!"

"See?" Bailey laughed. "That's not what Ayla said."

"Well, Ayla's a liar."

"And Nina's very best friend. And you screwed her, and not that's screwing you," Jaime said, enuciating as she ended. Bailey laughed and patted his shoulder sympathetically.

"If only you thought with your brain, Jonah," she said.

"It'll teach ya not to sleep with your crushes best friend," Jaime added.

"It's a lesson you needed to learn sooner or later."

**[A/N] Well, I know this was kind of a sucky ending, but my flashdrive got wiped and I had to rewrite this. There really was more to it, I swear! Anyway, thanks to all of those who have been reading the story! Thanks for all the reviews, the help, it was really fun writing this. I'm working on a couple more HOA stories to follow this, not sure if there will be any sequels to this though. We'll see **

**Thanks everyone!**

**xxMerexx**


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